In many different industrial, medical, biological, business, research and/or other settings, it is desirable to study large populations of individuals, where each individual has multiple measurable properties (dimensions). For example, a blood sample may contain a population of different cells in the 4th or 5th order of magnitude in number with a variety of different types of cells, each cell type having a substantial number of different measurable properties and with variations among individual cells due, e.g., to responses to environmental stimuli, developmental state, etc. For example, the cells may have a variety of different morphologies, substructures, cell surface molecules, different dimensions, different optical properties when illuminated by light, etc. In studying and testing the cells of a given sample, it may be desirable to identify, count and sort the cells of different types in the sample. One way of accomplishing those ends would be to employ the apparatus and techniques associated with the field of flow cytometry, wherein, inter alia, each of a population of cells is tested by exposure to light, e.g., a laser with a given frequency, magnitude and direction, and the response, e.g., fluorescence, absorption, reflection in a given direction and at a given magnitude, etc. is noted. This may be conducted in conjunction with a procedure for pre-conditioning the cells, e.g., by staining or subjecting them to a stimulus, such as an allergen. The light response data may be interpreted to identify sub-populations (sub-sets) in the sample, e.g., to count them and/or to physically separate them, e.g., for further examination, viz., based upon their responsive property when exposed to the light stimulus.
There are many other instances where large populations of individuals may be constructively analyzed by gathering data concerning the individuals and their measurable properties/attributes, which may be used to sort/characterize, group and/or count them. For example, in the area of marketing, a segment of the population of a country or many countries may be under consideration. Each of these persons may have multiple relevant or potentially relevant attributes that may contribute to their predisposition to purchase a given product or service or to do or refrain from a certain act. In addition, there may be numerous other properties of the individuals of a given population that are not relevant to any given propensity, such as a predisposition to buy a particular product. In addition, a given predisposition to buy may be indicated by the convergence of a plurality or even a multiplicity of properties of an individual and/or the absence of other properties. In the area of science, advancements have led to an explosion of available data, which is sometimes referred to as “Big Data” and apparatus and methods to harness and use this data are needed. See, “Drowning In Data,” Chemical & Engineering News Feb. 18, 2013, Page 40.
Because the volume of data to be considered in these diverse instances is sometimes large, it remains desirable to develop systems that can automatically aid in the analysis of data pertaining to large populations of individuals or other entities, e.g., blood cells, with multiple measurable properties (dimensions).